Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.

OK, so Artie had his anal sacs expressed today and, boy, does he feel better. Well, I assume so!

While at the vet, I told her that I'd been feeding him broccoli for fiber but that so many of you guys and gals suggested pumpkin. She was all aboard with the pumpkin and so we picked up a can (not pie filling; just plain pumpkin) on the way home. I gave some to Artie and he LOVES it! I'm thrilled.

Now... I asked the vet how much pumpkin I could/should give him. She said 2-3 tablespoons, 2-3 times per day. That could be up to 9 tablespoons per day!!! Not only did I think that was excessive, I thought that could be a recipe (no pun intended) for diarrhea. I didn't get into a lengthy discussion with her about it, though, because Artie was soooo ready to leave the vet already.

So, what say you pumpkin pushers? Artie weighs 35 pounds and gets quite a bit of exercise. How much do you think I should give him (per day)?

PS. I'm going to be giving it to him as a "treat" as opposed to with his normal meals.

How big is your dog? I have a 16 pound pug who gets a heaping tablespoon of pumpkin with his dinner every day. He loves it, too.

Artie is 35 pounds. That would mean that Artie should get two really heaping tablespoons. Why on earth would the vet say 2-3 tablespoons, 2-3 times per day, totalling between 4 and 9 tablespoons? Too much, right??

Thats seems like a lot of pumpkin. I have a 116lb german shepherd and I only give him 1 heaping Tab when he has diarrhea, I'm sure it won't hurt to give it everyday but I wouldn't be giving it to him 3 times a day.

Thats seems like a lot of pumpkin. I have a 116lb german shepherd and I only give him 1 heaping Tab when he has diarrhea, I'm sure it won't hurt to give it everyday but I wouldn't be giving it to him 3 times a day.

Yeah, I thought it was nutty too. And I like this vet. A lot! In the car, I asked my husband, "Did she really say 2-3 tablespoons, 2-3 times per day???" and he said that that's what he heard too.

I'm going to guess that the vet was still looped up on egg nog and not thinking perfectly clearly. LOL!

And that's why I asked all of YOU. You're all the ones who recommended pumpkin, so I figured that you'd all know how much. And I was right! You're all so awesome!

That amount of pumpkin seems like it may be over doing it a little for a dog Artie's size. Maybe you could try a tablespoon or two with his meals (or as treats as you are doing now). If it seems like he needs more, you could slowly increase the amount to determine what is 'right' for Artie.

I used to give my Saint Bernard (160#) about a 1/4 to 1/2 can of pumpkin (the small can of pumpkin) twice a day mixed in with his dog food. I had to give him pumpkin or cooked oatmeal (about a cup) with every single meal for the full 8 years I had him, or he would have digestive problems that caused problems with his bladder.

It's a long story, but we first adopted him from a rescue he was having urinary problems. He was completely house trained, but suddenly he would lose control of his bladder, whimpering. We thought he may have stones or maybe even some sort of cancer. We took him to the vet and had a battery of tests conducted (blood tests, urine analysis, x-rays - I don't remember what else.) and found he was impacted from (presumably) not enough fiber and his impaction was affecting his bladder. Our vet did not offer any solutions other than switching dog food. We did that and had limited, temporary success.

After consulting with the rescue from where he was adopted at length, they recommended pumpkin. We used the pumpkin exclusively at first, but we needed to use so much it was getting quite expensive so we eventually tried and switched to cooked oatmeal. We would still use pumpkin every once in a while, too. That regimen worked; however, if we ever strayed he would have impaction/bladder problems again. I know this isn't the same problem as you were having with your Artie, but I thought I'd share that we used oatmeal/pumpkin for about 8 years with no ill effects. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Pumpkin and oatmeal were the saving grace. We tried a number of different foods and nothing helped reliably but the pumpkin and oatmeal.

Our dear Saint lived a full, productive, healthy life until he died due to cancer (unfortunately, a common medical condition in Saints).

That amount of pumpkin seems like it may be over doing it a little for a dog Artie's size. Maybe you could try a tablespoon or two with his meals (or as treats as you are doing now). If it seems like he needs more, you could slowly increase the amount to determine what is 'right' for Artie.

I used to give my Saint Bernard (160#) about a 1/4 to 1/2 can of pumpkin (the small can of pumpkin) twice a day mixed in with his dog food. I had to give him pumpkin or cooked oatmeal (about a cup) with every single meal for the full 8 years I had him, or he would have digestive problems that caused problems with his bladder.

It's a long story, but we first adopted him from a rescue he was having urinary problems. He was completely house trained, but suddenly he would lose control of his bladder, whimpering. We thought he may have stones or maybe even some sort of cancer. We took him to the vet and had a battery of tests conducted (blood tests, urine analysis, x-rays - I don't remember what else.) and found he was impacted from (presumably) not enough fiber and his impaction was affecting his bladder. Our vet did not offer any solutions other than switching dog food. We did that and had limited, temporary success.

After consulting with the rescue from where he was adopted at length, they recommended pumpkin. We used the pumpkin exclusively at first, but we needed to use so much it was getting quite expensive so we eventually tried and switched to cooked oatmeal. We would still use pumpkin every once in a while, too. That regimen worked; however, if we ever strayed he would have impaction/bladder problems again. I know this isn't the same problem as you were having with your Artie, but I thought I'd share that we used oatmeal/pumpkin for about 8 years with no ill effects. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Pumpkin and oatmeal were the saving grace. We tried a number of different foods and nothing helped reliably but the pumpkin and oatmeal.

Our dear Saint lived a full, productive, healthy life until he died due to cancer (unfortunately, a common medical condition in Saints).

Best wishes to you.

Ohhhh! The thought of a 160-pound Saint Bernard whimpering... it just breaks my heart. Terrific, though, that pumpkin and oatmeal (we'll try that to firm up Artie's stools next) worked well for him and that he lived a wonderful life with you.

Ohhhh! The thought of a 160-pound Saint Bernard whimpering... it just breaks my heart. Terrific, though, that pumpkin and oatmeal (we'll try that to firm up Artie's stools next) worked well for him and that he lived a wonderful life with you.

Best wishes to you too, and happy (almost) new year.

Yes, the whimpering was heart-wrenching. He was such a fantastic dog. Then after he had the accident in the house, he would lay in the corner with his head between his paws and sulk. He really couldn't help that he had an accident - it was a physiological problem.

I wanted to clarify in terms of the oatmeal and pumpkin for your situation. We used the oatmeal to add fiber into our Saint's diet, but in your case (and of course I'm not a vet or anything so take my advice for what it's worth ) but I might try the pumpkin first in smaller doses to see if you have success since the problem Artie is having -if I understand correctly - is loose stools. I don't know about trying both the pumpkin and the oatmeal at a time. If you do, you won't know which is working for Artie and you may not need to use both of them. I hope I am making sense.

Happy New Year (almost) to you, too and all the Pets forum members!

Cheers!

Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.